Diego gazed down at their clasped hands, not having realized he was still holding hers. She didn’t seem interested in letting go, and neither did he.
“That guy at the diner—your ex,” Diego said. He wanted to tread carefully here, not sure if she’d want to talk about this or not. But when she didn’t shut him down, he plowed ahead. “I sort of got the feeling you and Brandon weren’t too comfortable around him.”
She snorted. “You could say that.” When he patiently waited for her to say more, she sighed. “I married Dave right after high school graduation. I was too young and foolish to realize what a controlling jerk he was until after Brandon was born. When Brandon was eleven, Dave went to prison for manslaughter and served five years, nearly six if you count the time served during the trial. Brandon didn’t have the best relationship with his father before he went to jail. I didn’t either, I guess. He got out a few months ago and…well, it isn’t any better than it was before.”
Five years didn’t sound like a lot for manslaughter. “How is he out on parole already?”
Her slim shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Who knows? I was surprised he got released so soon. Then again, it wasn’t like I kept tabs on him after he went to prison. We got divorced and I never looked back. We were married nearly ten years, have a child together, and I just walked away.”
Diego opened his mouth to point out that she’d done the right thing, that if her instincts told her to run, she was smart to listen to them, but Gage chose that moment to walk in.
“We got a call,” he said. “Silent alarm at Capital One Bank on Gaston. Looks like another barricaded suspect.”
“I’ll be right there.” Diego muttered a curse, then looked at Bree. “I gotta go.”
Bree nodded and pushed back her chair. “Don’t worry about it. You have a job to do, and Brandon and I need to get home.”
Outside, he was about to turn and tell her he’d check in with Brandon later when she put her hand on his arm.
“Can I see you again?” she asked. “Before the baby shower on Saturday, I mean.”
Diego didn’t know whether she was talking about going on a date or getting together so they could talk more werewolf stuff, but the mere idea of Bree wanting to see him again did some crazy things to his pulse.
“Yeah, of course,” he said.
“Great!” She smiled. “What do you think about coming over for dinner? My way of saying thank you for saving our lives.”
Diego had expected her to suggest grabbing a cup of coffee or something, but a home-cooked meal sounded even better. “I’d love to. I’ll give you my number so we can nail down a day and time.”
She gazed at him for a moment, then pulled her cell phone from her purse and held it out to him. “Tomorrow night works for me, if it’s okay with you?”
He handed his cell to her, then quickly typed his name and number in her contacts. “It’s a date.”
Or maybe it wasn’t a date. He still wasn’t sure. But Bree didn’t correct him, and he tried hard to keep the stupid grin off his face as she put her information in his phone. He was trying to think of something romantic to say when Brandon ran up to them.
“Are you leaving?” he asked. “Right now?”
“About two minutes ago, actually,” Diego pointed out. “But yeah, I have to go.”
Brandon frowned, clearly bummed. “You’re going to be at the party Saturday when I meet Jayna’s pack, right?”
Diego grinned. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
The kid smiled so big Diego was surprised he didn’t hurt himself. “Okay, I’ve got to get out of here. If you need to talk to me, I gave your mom my phone number. You can call or text me anytime—whatever you need. Okay?”
Brandon nodded.
Bree said something to him about being careful, but Diego was already running for the response SUV where Trey was waiting for him. He had to admit, having a woman concerned about him felt damn good.
Chapter 4
Bree and Brandon took the stairs up to their fourth-floor apartment rather than wait for the elevator. It wasn’t because the elevator was slow, or they were in a hurry. It was because they still had bloodstains on their clothes, something Bree hadn’t realized until they’d left the SWAT compound. The idea of being trapped in the confined space of an elevator with one of their neighbors was more than either of them wanted to deal with.
Thankfully, they made it to their apartment without running into anyone. Brandon held onto the bags of takeout from Keller’s Drive-In as Bree fiddled with the key. She’d barely gotten it in the lock when her sister jerked the door open so fast Bree nearly fell face-first onto the tile floor of the entryway.
“Where the hell have you been?” Beth demanded. “I saw on the news that some psycho with a gun held up the diner and took everyone hostage. I’ve been calling and texting you nonstop, and when you didn’t answer, I called the police and every hospital in the city. No one would tell me anything. I’ve been losing my mind for hours.”
Brandon handed Bree two of the bags, gave her a look that said “Good luck!” then headed for his bedroom with his burgers.
“Wash your hands before you eat!” she called after him as he disappeared inside. “And remember to feed Finn!”
Finn was Brandon’s ferret. The little guy was simply precious, but he could get fussy if they made him wait too long to eat.
Closing the door behind her, Bree placed the bags on the kitchen table, then walked down the short hallway to her own bedroom, her sister at her heels. She took one look in the full-length mirror on the inside of the closet door she’d left open and grimaced. She couldn’t think of eating until she took off her bloodstained clothes. As she exchanged her jeans and top for a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, Beth leaned against the doorjamb with a frown.
“It didn’t help that Brandon decided to leave his stupid phone in his room when you guys left,” she grumbled. “Why didn’t you answer any of my calls or texts? Didn’t you think I might be worried?”
Bree sighed, ashamed to realize she hadn’t considered her sister might have heard about what happened at the diner. Finding out her son was a werewolf on top of the two of them almost getting killed had kind of preoccupied her.
Ten years younger than Bree was, Beth had moved in with her and Brandon during Dave’s trial. After the divorce, Bree had put the house they’d lived in with Dave on the market and gotten this three-bedroom apartment, wanting to put her ex and that part of their lives behind them. Moving back East to be near family probably would have been easier, but Brandon had already gone through so much crap with his dad that Bree hadn’t wanted to take him out of a school he loved and away from friends he adored. But she wouldn’t have been able to do any of it if her sister hadn’t been there to help with Brandon while Bree worked full-time.